Disappointed

[Zak Gordon]

Im a backer of E from KS - and I understand the game didn't make the kind of money SC did - but I am a little disappointed with the lack of updates and invovlment of dev with the community.

Not sure if its a Frontier thing - but if a neophyte like Josh Parnell who is making Limit Theory can be so deeply be in synch with the community with virtually daily updates working solo on 1/10th of the budget of this game and monthly hands on realy time game updates- I'd expected E to give us more than a rare "talk" video by Braben with no actuals once in a while!

David is not a fan of 'Spam', that was covered during the KS (when we were all freaking out that it might not make it, in part due to the lack of info we were getting), and where as someone like Chris Roberts (from the Star Citizen KS) has been part of 'Hollywood' and is into all that marketing stuff, or where a truly unique individual like Josh is 'machine-like' in his focus and sole drive to make Limit Theory, his first real game, the most amazing thing it can be, and let us all know about that process, it is clear David is different.

David also runs a company, a fairly large one, and they also do other things outside of Elite Dangerous. We are also getting the email updates quite regular now.

Not offering excuses, as for sure i'd love to see David post stuff on the forums from time to time and get all involved in the forum banter etc, but i just want to make the point that people are different, and approach things in different ways. I just hope David and FD can do Elite Dangerous justice and create and release a game that was as genre defining and important as the original Elite was back in the day, and if not i'd happily settle for a more modern version of where Frontier and FFE had taken the series.

Anything else would really be just gravy. They really have quite a lot to do on quite a small budget, and each project is different. So Josh, apart from needing to be the borg-like genius he is, probably has the 'easiest' job in terms of his costs and being able to deliver on what he has committed too.

Chris Roberts has lots of money, but i think his task is harder than the one David and FD face, as they need to make most of the game assets themselves, going the non-procedural hand-crafted content route.

Each project is very different as our the people running them, so don't panic.

 

[The Space Pirate]

Huh? We've been getting newsletters on a regular basis, interspersed with the odd video. What do you expect - a demo?

 

[synchromesh]

Chris Roberts has lots of money, but i think his task is harder than the one David and FD face, as they need to make most of the game assets themselves, going the non-procedural hand-crafted content route.

Actually....Elite Dangerous raised more money for the kickstarter than Star Citizen..

Chris roberts target was £500.000 ....But David Brabens was 1.25 million

So in actual fact Davids project required a lot more funding than SC to get off the ground....SC is going to be AWSOME.....But it isnt Elite...

Two different Ballgames

 

[withnail]

David also runs a company, a fairly large one, and they also do other things outside of Elite Dangerous. We are also getting the email updates quite regular now.

Not offering excuses, as for sure i'd love to see David post stuff on the forums from time to time and get all involved in the forum banter etc, but i just want to make the point that people are different, and approach things in different ways. I just hope David and FD can do Elite Dangerous justice and create and release a game that was as genre defining and important as the original Elite was back in the day, and if not i'd happily settle for a more modern version of where Frontier and FFE had taken the series.

Really happy with the level of interaction at the moment, I think they are doing a good job.

If Mr Braben started posting on the forum he would be inundated. I can imagine why he limits things to the video updates. That's fine by me.

Also, the staff communicate well. I like it that the people involved in the project tale the time to respond to queries. The DDF gets replies outside of work hours so they are a pretty dedicated bunch of people.

 

[deusx_ophc]

Titan1978, see we even love the trolls around here and have plenty of ED love spare for them

nice try

and hi gee (from the ks, right?) and so nice to see oddball

ps: it has been said before but this forum is very much alive. then add the private backers, the ddf and the various other community driven projects around ed and you have a full time job just trying to follow nevermind shaping debate !!!

 

[Jason S]

The creator of this thread does have a point when compared to Josh's project where he does give incredible daily detail particularly on the tech side of development.


However FD is a company and not a single indie developer and so there is perhaps more due process.


Also the news letters have been great, Michael and Ashley are very engaged and lave radio adds something special and what is comming from FD is amazing detail not on tech but on the life of the ED universe.


I think FD are doing loads for the community and then they are also working with the DDF.

 

[Bruce Turnbull]

Titan1978, see we even love the trolls around here and have plenty of ED love spare for them

nice try

and hi gee (from the ks, right?) and so nice to see oddball

ps: it has been said before but this forum is very much alive. then add the private backers, the ddf and the various other community driven projects around ed and you have a full time job just trying to follow nevermind shaping debate !!!

I don't think he was being a troll, and to be fair at least he put his thoughts in our public forum, rather than just being grumpy about it. I don't agree with him as I've previously said but it's his opinion

 

[Titan1978]

Titan1978, see we even love the trolls around here and have plenty of ED love spare for them

nice try

and hi gee (from the ks, right?) and so nice to see oddball

ps: it has been said before but this forum is very much alive. then add the private backers, the ddf and the various other community driven projects around ed and you have a full time job just trying to follow nevermind shaping debate !!!

dont be an idiot. I've pledged over two dozen games and am actively invovled in all their community and am coming with perspectives - only to help the game more and neither will I take back what I said !This is just a plea for greater community involvement

too many 12 year olds running about

 

[JeffRyan]

too many 12 year olds running about

Ha! Yeah, lot of 12 year olds in this forum :S

 

[Slawkenbergius]

I think it's worth mentioning that Frontier are probably still gearing up to full production status at the moment. In the comments section of the most recent Kickstarter update, with reference to in-game footage, Michael said "we're busing setting up all the pipelines we need for full production, that means the forward facing aspects get left alone for a while". That was on March 16th.

 

[SAB380]

Actually....Elite Dangerous raised more money for the kickstarter than Star Citizen..

Chris roberts target was £500.000 ....But David Brabens was 1.25 million

So in actual fact Davids project required a lot more funding than SC to get off the ground....SC is going to be AWSOME.....But it isnt Elite...

Two different Ballgames

From my understanding though, the Kickstarter aim was different for the two projects.

Chris Roberts had already secured a large amount of backing and was using Kickstarter to 'prove' people wanted a large scale space sim. That's why the Star Citizen target was so low.

David Braben was using Kickstarter to actually fund Elite: Dangerous which was why it was higher.

But either way, post Kickstarter, Star Citizen has raised an enormous amount of cash from fans through direct pledging.

 

[Cmdr Andy B]

Ha! Yeah, lot of 12 year olds in this forum :S

the 'What's your age poll' was obviously one of the threads he failed to open as it was too 'wysiwyg'

Titan, you talk of people not being involved enough yet say you don't bother to read the threads, what method of communication would suit you best? thought transmitting maybe? :S

 

[Slawkenbergius]

David Braben was using Kickstarter to actually fund Elite: Dangerous which was why it was higher.

To a certain extent. Frontier are actually putting some of their own capital into producing the game (DB said so in the BCS interview).

 

[Alien]

If the subject of this thread is "Disappointed", I'd like to weigh in with my comments.

There was a time when talk of a fourth Elite game was hounded down with the fact that it was vapourware, it would never happen. I found this forum, and it was a quiet place. There were some, who like me, clung to the hope of a new Elite game, but the forum was quiet, and a close community developed among those who lurked here.

There was not much to talk about. Every now and then there would be some new rumour, often due to David Braben being interviewed, and the inevitable question : "Will there be a fourth Elite?", to which David always skillfully evaded a direct answer. Getting any information from Frontier Developments either on this forum, or off of it, was impossible. Even when "The Outsider" was cancelled, still Frontier kept quiet, that was when some started to lose faith in there ever being a fourth Elite.

Then suddenly, David Walsh announced the Kickstarter project to raise funding for a fourth Elite game, I was lucky enough to be looking on this forum when that post came in. I quickly pledged some money. All our hopes had been answered, there would be a fourth Elite game, but success of the Kickstarter was not guaranteed.

Soon, many many people pledged their money to the Kickstarter, and I began to wonder "where were all of you during those years we lurked on this forum?, during those years we were laughed at for having the belief a fourth Elite would one day happen?" but all that was forgotten, we were a community again, and were we growing in numbers. This forum went from a dozen members to hundreds.

The Kickstarter ended and a fourth Elite was now a reality and Frontier realised that this forum would now need to change, the greater numbers of active members required new sections to accommodate the game and moderators. I have to say at this point, I do not agree with all the choices that were made for who the new moderators are. There is one in particular I strongly disagree with and should not be a moderator, and I am not afraid to state my opinions on this, even if it resulted in being banned. However, I do know from the experience I have with other forums, and running my own forum, that it is very bad forum etiquette to discuss this, so I will keep my opinions on this forum's moderators to myself ... for now.

I am also not happy with what I have seen on this forum. It is true, we have been relatively troll free, compared to how bad it could have been, but I honestly think that most of the threads that have been started were unnecessary and a waste of time, so much so, that one of the moderators put up a locked sticky thread asking people to look at what has already been posted before creating new threads. There were days when you would post in a thread or create a new one and in an hour it was on page 2. Nobody looks at the threads on page 2. That has calmed down now, but still threads are being created that have no need to exist.

The community I knew has gone and I am not comfortable with the community we have now, so much so that I don't want to be a part of it any more. I am seriously considering playing on my own when the fourth Elite is released.

So there, I've said it now. This thread is about "Disappointed", and I am.
Sometimes I wish the Kickstarter had never happened and we were still here hoping that one day a fourth Elite would happen.

 

[synchromesh]

From my understanding though, the Kickstarter aim was different for the two projects.

Chris Roberts had already secured a large amount of backing and was using Kickstarter to 'prove' people wanted a large scale space sim. That's why the Star Citizen target was so low.

David Braben was using Kickstarter to actually fund Elite: Dangerous which was why it was higher.

But either way, post Kickstarter, Star Citizen has raised an enormous amount of cash from fans through direct pledging.

Oh dont get me wrong....What Chris Roberts achieved is astounding...And well deserved....Wing Commander III is one of the best games i have ever played and i cant wait for Star Citizen...Everyone should purchase it

I was just making the point that Frontier has started from scratch without other funding and has just as much of a daunting task as chris Roberts in my opinion..

However...David has admitted many times that FD could have been better prepared with more ingame stuff so what we have seen is probably early Alpha stuff...And that looked amazing...In 3D its INCREDIBLE !!
So its safe to assume we wont see much till FD are more happy its presentable....Im happy on how its all going myself under those circumstances.

The games being made....We just have to let them get on with it.....We will see more footage and updates as time goes by but its only been 12 weeks or so.....Hardly worth screaming about at the moment

 

[synchromesh]

the 'What's your age poll' was obviously one of the threads he failed to open as it was too 'wysiwyg'

Titan, you talk of people not being involved enough yet say you don't bother to read the threads, what method of communication would suit you best? thought transmitting maybe? :S

Thought transmitting LOL

 

[JeffRyan]

If the subject of this thread is "Disappointed", I'd like to weigh in with my comments.

There was a time when talk of a fourth Elite game was hounded down with the fact that it was vapourware, it would never happen. I found this forum, and it was a quiet place. There were some, who like me, clung to the hope of a new Elite game, but the forum was quiet, and a close community developed among those who lurked here.

There was not much to talk about. Every now and then there would be some new rumour, often due to David Braben being interviewed, and the inevitable question : "Will there be a fourth Elite?", to which David always skillfully evaded a direct answer. Getting any information from Frontier Developments either on this forum, or off of it, was impossible. Even when "The Outsider" was cancelled, still Frontier kept quiet, that was when some started to lose faith in there ever being a fourth Elite.

Then suddenly, David Walsh announced the Kickstarter project to raise funding for a fourth Elite game, I was lucky enough to be looking on this forum when that post came in. I quickly pledged some money. All our hopes had been answered, there would be a fourth Elite game, but success of the Kickstarter was not guaranteed.

Soon, many many people pledged their money to the Kickstarter, and I began to wonder "where were all of you during those years we lurked on this forum?, during those years we were laughed at for having the belief a fourth Elite would one day happen?" but all that was forgotten, we were a community again, and were we growing in numbers. This forum went from a dozen members to hundreds.

The Kickstarter ended and a fourth Elite was now a reality and Frontier realised that this forum would now need to change, the greater numbers of active members required new sections to accommodate the game and moderators. I have to say at this point, I do not agree with all the choices that were made for who the new moderators are. There is one in particular I strongly disagree with and should not be a moderator, and I am not afraid to state my opinions on this, even if it resulted in being banned. However, I do know from the experience I have with other forums, and running my own forum, that it is very bad forum etiquette to discuss this, so I will keep my opinions on this forum's moderators to myself ... for now.

I am also not happy with what I have seen on this forum. It is true, we have been relatively troll free, compared to how bad it could have been, but I honestly think that most of the threads that have been started were unnecessary and a waste of time, so much so, that one of the moderators put up a locked sticky thread asking people to look at what has already been posted before creating new threads. There were days when you would post in a thread or create a new one and in an hour it was on page 2. Nobody looks at the threads on page 2. That has calmed down now, but still threads are being created that have no need to exist.

The community I knew has gone and I am not comfortable with the community we have now, so much so that I don't want to be a part of it any more. I am seriously considering playing on my own when the fourth Elite is released.

So there, I've said it now. This thread is about "Disappointed", and I am.
Sometimes I wish the Kickstarter had never happened and we were still here hoping that one day a fourth Elite would happen.

As one of the new pack, I think I should say I'm sorry. You're right though, and on a few things, not so much. You are right about what is pretty much your nice quiet neighbourhood being pretty much taken over because of the kickstarter. I'm sorry, but there's not much you can do about that, unfortunately for you, the place you hang out in is the Official Elite Forums and not some random small forum on some random site. And obviously with the development of the new game, a lot of us new people have moved in.

Over the years, you and yours have developed a small, but close community, a family, with it's own quirks, it's own rules, it's own disputes. I admire your courage to say something that can obviously be attacked.

I'm sorry I don't know the rules and culture you'd developed here, and I'm sorry that it probably won't quickly return, it's the nature of the beast. I won't say get over it, you have the choice to stay or go. I hope you stay and give some of us new people a chance to get to know you and the rest of the older elite forum members who're still here.

You're wrong though about some of us not keeping the faith, for years, at least twice or three times a year, I've searched 'Elite IV', I've regularly finished up on this site and read the old FAQ more than once. Just because I didn't hang out here didn't mean I didn't believe and I think many of us are in the same boat.

I hope you hang around mate and I'm sorry about us new folks messing up your place, but you and older members have my respect for having kept this place going.

Jeff

 

[psykokow]

I also want to add my support for you Alien,
I am a new guy treading in your territory, lowering the tone to a level i enjoy, but I consider myself considerate and I like to think a kind soul.

I would really enjoy hearing your opinions and getting to know you and maybe even giving you a few giggles along the way.

Please do give us a chance as I feel we all have a lot to offer each other.. and I am not a troll... I eat trolls for breakfast....well wheatabix mainly..

I would hate to think I could cause you and your forum (it is yours) any ill will or make you feel uncomfortable...

Stick about and please moan your ass off and give us a piece of your mind, I will respect your veiws and I will challenge them should I feel so inclined... but mainly I'd like to get along with you..

And maybe you can fly beside me in ED and watch me wreck ship after ship after ship...

I wish you all the best

 

[Alien]

Hi Jeff,

I appreciate your reply. You and anyone else who joined this forum once the Kickstarter was announced are all very welcome, and I don't want any of you to feel you are not welcome.

I (and probably the others too) should have realised that if a fourth Elite ever did happen, exactly this would happen, the old community would have to endure change, but I never gave any thought to how things might be when it was known a fourth Elite would happen. I guess I have only myself to blame for that.

I'm staying. I will probably lurk and not post out of fear of saying the wrong thing. Just because you may be new to this forum, does mean my opinion is more valid than yours. I feel, though, that some in this community, and I am talking about certain people closely involved with making Elite 4, have made me feel my opinion is irrelevant and not welcome, that is something I would never want to make another person feel, even if they have just joined the forum today.

So I welcome you and your opinions. It is your game as much as mine.

 

[Alien]

I also want to add my support for you Alien,
I am a new guy treading in your territory, lowering the tone to a level i enjoy, but I consider myself considerate and I like to think a kind soul.

I would really enjoy hearing your opinions and getting to know you and maybe even giving you a few giggles along the way.

Please do give us a chance as I feel we all have a lot to offer each other.. and I am not a troll... I eat trolls for breakfast....well wheatabix mainly..

I would hate to think I could cause you and your forum (it is yours) any ill will or make you feel uncomfortable...

Stick about and please moan your ass off and give us a piece of your mind, I will respect your veiws and I will challenge them should I feel so inclined... but mainly I'd like to get along with you..

And maybe you can fly beside me in ED and watch me wreck ship after ship after ship...

I wish you all the best

It is OUR forum. Not mine or yours ... OURS.